Blade of Secrets
The Blade of Secrets was a cursed nemuranai. Blade of Secrets (Hidden Emperor 5 flavor) The sword and its twin, the Blade of Truths, were forged by Kaiu Haru during The Maw's invasion of the Crab lands. Appearance It had a serrated blade which glowed in presence of the Shadowlands Taint. It was said that those who sought secrets must suffer for the knowledge. Night of a Thousand Screams, p. 32 The handle was made of gold and curved slightly to form the elongated body of a duck, while the golden hilt narrowed to form the neck of the creature. Capping the end of it was an impressive duck head, complete with onyx eyes and a long, straight beak. The tsuba was also made of gold, its rim a wide ring from which two small pieces extended outward. Prayers and Treasures, pp. 170-171 Abilities The blade had the power enough to kill an oni. Night of a Thousand Screams, p. 28 It was a nemuranai which not only could dealed damage to creatures invulnerable to normal weapons, but the blade was specially prepared to fight against shadowlands creatures. However, if the swordman made a impressive strike or had shameful failure, the curse of the blade would begin to work, draining the inner soul of the wielder, harming him, and even reducing his strength and constitution. Magic of Rokugan, p. 77 History Cursed The Maw raised an army in 716 and marched upon the Crab. Way of the Crab, p. 31 Shortly after Hiruma Castle was conquered, the village of Kotaru Mura was besieged by one of its lieutenants, Chizaro no Oni. The Shadowlands border extended and engulfed the village. Its governor Kaiu Haru, was a swordsmith who desperete crafted two twin swords, the Blade of Truths and the Blade of Secrets, each tempered with powdered jade, to be used against the Oni. However, even the old master could not fully protect the swords from evil, and each sword was born with a curse, a twist to lead a foolish wielder to destruction. Haru died using the swords to destroy Chizaro, but his sacrifice let the villagers escape. Secrets of the Shadowlands, p. 20 Hunted Sword Since Haru's death, the blades had appeared both in the Shadowlands and Rokugan. Chizaro no Oni's spawn were still particularly vulnerable to the swords, and hunted their owners. Found Daidoji Anitano found the blade in the Shadowlands while he was warring the Crab. Night of a Thousand Screams, p. 16 When he was at Ryoko Owari the blade was stolen by Togashi Ikyoto, an ise zumi who owed a favor to Whisper, and passed to the ronin merchant the blade. The merchant intended to use it to defend his life against an oni, Chizaro no Oni, who guessed had been summoned to find him. Night of a Thousand Screams, p. 30 Doji Oruku returned the blade to his Lord, Doji Tsumetsu after the oni was killed. Night of a Thousand Screams, p. 35 Since then, the blade had left a trail of broken heroes across the Empire. External Links * Blade of Secrets (Hidden Emperor 5) Category:Nemuranai